The Jillian Michaels App: Week 1

Here’s my weekly check-in for the Jillian Michaels program! You can read more about the start of my journey here.

Week 1 went really well. All of the recipes were delicious and satisfying. The workouts were HARD but I’m proud of myself for pushing through them and doing what I can. I’ve needed to move around the workout days and rest a bit extra, I don’t get a restful night sleep because my baby wakes me to nurse every few hours at night. I don’t want to get burned out and give up so I’m trying to make sure that if my body really needs rest, I rest. If I’m just a bit tired or not feeling like working out, I’ve pushed myself to do it anyway and always feel great afterwards! I actually quite enjoy my time at night after I put baby Evelyn to sleep- I workout, take a shower, and enjoy my healthy dinner in peace and quiet. It’s the “me time” I’ve been desperately needing.

Note: I’m following the Jillian Michaels vegan meal plan from the app for the most part. I’m eating extra snacks since I’m nursing so I need about 300 extra calories for milk production.

Day 1:
What I ate-
I haven’t gone to the grocery store yet, but I didn’t want to wait another day so I started today! So just note this is all off meal plan. Clearly I don’t have much food left in my house haha.
-homemade veggie burger w/ 2 fried eggs
-coffee w/ almond milk and homemade caramel syrup (made w/ coconut sugar)
-sip of lemonade
-hard boiled egg
-homemade veggie burger on a bun w/ 1/2 an avocado and goat cheese
– roasted sweet potato (garlic powder, salt and pepper, olive oil) w/ organic yogurt
– peanut butter cookies (3 ingredient kind, peanut butter, coconut sugar, eggs)
What I did
– Day 1 of the Beginner Bounce Back Baby program on the Jillian Michaels App
How I felt
– my eating is a little weird today, our fridge is pretty empty. Heading to the grocery store ASAP.
– OMG that workout was HARD. It’s been a while since I’ve done a workout that tough and I definitely worked up a sweat. But I felt amazing afterwards. I’m glad the workouts are so modifiable. I was able to change up the moves that felt too hard for me so I didn’t give up. My muscles are so worn out I almost fell getting out of the shower haha!

Day 2:
What I ate-
Breakfast wasn’t according to meal plan, I went to the grocery store a bit later
-2 hard boiled eggs
– Rockin’ Rocket salad
-2 servings of guacamole with cucumber slices
– black tea with raw honey and coconut milk
– Buckwheat Soba Noodle Stir-fry
What I did-
– Day 2 of the Beginner Bounce Back Baby program on the Jillian Michaels app
How I felt
– the food was delicious! These are recipes I’ll definitely be making again. It’s very similar to the food I typically eat except I’m much more aware of portion size and it’s the ONLY food I’m eating. I’m not eating any junk on top of it. Writing everything down makes it easier to avoid emotional eating.
– the workout was really tough, but I made it through. It was mostly abs and some upper body. Core strength is something I really need to work on. My core is weak and it causes me back pain, it was so bad when I was pregnant I had to go to physiotherapy. They gave me ab exercises to do- which is a lot harder when pregnant! I’m hoping to be really fit and healthy by the next time I get pregnant so I don’t endure so much pain.

Day 3:
What I ate-
-Maple Coconut Overnight Oats
– tea with coconut milk and raw honey
– leftover Buckwheat Soba Noodle Stir-fry
– Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potato with Tzatziki
– 2 servings of guacamole and cucumber slices
– 1 PB Chocolate Energy Ball
What I did-
– the program includes a workout today and a rest day tomorrow but I’m going to swap them. I’m feeling very run down today. Lack of sleep is catching up with me- my little one still wakes every couple hours at night.
How I felt-
– sooo not feeling well today. Headache, nauseous, exhausted. I think it’s fatigue from waking up every 2 hours at night to nurse my baby coupled with my new active lifestyle.
– loving the recipes again today 🙂

Day 4:
What I ate-
– Maple Coconut Overnight Oats
– coffee with coconut milk and maple syrup
– hard boiled egg
– leftover Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potato with Tzatziki
– 3 PB Chocolate Energy Ball
– Caribbean Black Bean Chilli (added plain organic yogurt on top)
What I did-
– Day 3 of the Beginner Bounce Back Baby program on the Jillian Michaels app
How I felt-
– today was a good day 🙂 I’m very glad I listened to my body and rested yesterday. I felt energized today and enjoyed cooking and powering through my workout.
– today’s workout was mainly upper body and it was tough but not as tough as the other workouts I’ve done so far. Push-ups are the bane of my existence. Maybe one day they won’t feel like torture?
– the chilli I made today was amazing! Very spicy but very tasty. I gotta say, I’m so happy that the recipes for the meal plan are delicious and don’t feel like deprivation. I’m really impressed with that! I’ve followed other plans in the past and it’s either not enough food, or all cold/raw food, or the recipes aren’t great.
– weighed myself out of curiosity and I’ve lost 4 lbs!

Day 5:
What I ate-
– Maple Coconut Overnight Oats
– leftover Caribbean Black Bean Chilli (added plain organic yogurt on top)
– 1 hard boiled egg
– cup of OJ
– Roasted Vegetables with Romanesco Sauce with an egg
– 2 PB Chocolate Energy Balls
What I did-
– Day 5 of the Beginner Bounce Back Baby program on the Jillian Michaels app
How I felt-
– happy but tired 🙂 went grocery shopping with my sweet mom and my daughter today, feeling wiped out after that!
– did my workout with my husband. Of course it was deadly for me and super easy for him so he was dancing around acting goofy which kind of made me feel bad about myself because I was dripping sweat and so winded I couldn’t talk. Trying to remind myself that the only way I’ll become more physically able is by continuing to workout. Just gotta keep pressing on!

Day 6:
What I ate-
– Maple Coconut Overnight Oats
– Falafel Pita Wrap with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
– 1 hard boiled egg
– coffee with coconut milk and maple syrup
– Cheesy Kale, Leek, and Mushroom Casserole
– a few sips of white wine
– 1 PB Chocolate Energy Ball
– 1 hard boiled egg
What I did-
– Day 6 of the Beginner Bounce Back Baby program on the Jillian Michaels app.
How I felt-
– so proud of myself! I went to my mom’s house for dinner, which is often a free for all of appetizers then a big dinner then dessert. Instead, I made dinner and it was a recipe from the plan! I did have a few sips of wine but I mean I can’t cook a recipe that has wine in it without tasting it 😉 when everyone was eating ice cream, I was SO close to giving in and having a few spoonfuls but I thought to myself “am I hungry? If I eat this, will I feel like it was worth it?” The answer to both questions was no, so I didn’t eat any ice cream- and it wasn’t hard once I consciously reminded myself that this wasn’t a treat I was really that interested in!
– I asked my husband to join in today’s workout again and he found this one way harder than yesterday’s! It made me feel a little better about myself to watch him struggling almost as much as I was 😉

Day 7:
What I ate-
– Maple Coconut Overnight Oats
– coffee with coconut milk and maple syrup
– 1 hard boiled egg
– Falafel Pita Wrap with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
– handful of raw cashews
– Cheesy Kale, Leek, and Mushroom Casserole
What I did-
– Rest
How I felt-
– feeling stuffed up and I have a sore throat and my kiddo has a runny nose and a cough so we’re both pretty tired today. Normally if I were sick I would still try to work out because I could rest up at night but because my little one still nurses through the night, every 2-3 hours, I don’t get a restful sleep so I can’t recover from a cold very well. Last time I was sick it lasted 2 weeks. Really hoping I’ll feel better soon. If I’m feeling better tomorrow I’ll make up the workout.

See ya next Tuesday!

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